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Council of Europe report on minority languages in Norway

16 May 2007. The Council of Europe Committee of Ministers calls on Norway to strengthen the protection of its minority languages, on the basis of a report which has been drawn up by a committee of independent experts which monitors the application of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

The Committee of Ministers urges Norway to protect and promote the Kven language by adopting policies for standardising and improving the teaching of the language and increasing its use in public life. The Norwegian Government is also encouraged to step up its efforts to protect other languages, such as Sámi, Romani and Romanes, in fields such as education and social and health care.

The regional or minority languages protected under the Charter in Norway are Sámi, Kven, Romani and Romanes.

The full text of the report and the Committee of Ministers’ recommendations can be downloaded from the Charter's website: http://www.coe.int/minlang ("Reports and Recommendations" section).

Further information can also be found on the Charter's website, or by contacting the Charter Secretariat (Directorate of Co-operation for Local and Regional Democracy, DG I - Legal Affairs, Council of Europe, F-67075 Strasbourg, +33 (0) 390 21 5455).